Antwerp experienced a remarkable 59% surge in foreign investment last year, propelling it from fourth to second place in the prestigious European Cities and Regions
of the Future 2024/25 ranking for attracting foreign investment.
This ranking, compiled by fDi Intelligence, a branch of the Financial Times dedicated to knowledge dissemination, focuses on major cities with populations under 2 million. Glasgow, Scotland, secured the top spot in this year's rankings.
Additionally, Antwerp earned placement in the top ten across various categories in the same report by FDI Intelligence. Alderwoman Erica Caluwaerts, overseeing Economy, Innovation, and Industry, highlighted Antwerp's strong performance, noting its exceptional scores in economic potential and connectivity. She emphasized that Antwerp stands among the top ten most promising investment destinations across Europe.
The city's success can be attributed to substantial investments in recent years aimed at fostering innovation hubs, where a collaborative ecosystem supports start-ups, scale-ups, and established enterprises alike. In 2023 alone, Antwerp recorded 50 new foreign investment projects totaling a staggering 1.93 billion euros, underscoring its attractiveness to global investors. Photo by LBM1948, Wikimedia commons.